The Minority in Parliament is calling for the immediate decongestion of Ghana’s prisons over the fast-spreading Covid-19 in the country.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament today March 26 2020, Minority Spokesperson on Defence and Interior, James Agalga said the call on the President to grant pardon to inmates constitutes strategies that should be deployed to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
”The prison’s population is about 14,000 and yet our prisons facilities can only contain 8,000 inmates. So what that simply means is that the overcrowding in our prisons is over 50% and yet we are all under threat of this coronavirus pandemic.
He further indicated that: ”My suggestion is that, this is the right moment for the President to consider the option of exercising the prerogative function of mercy under the constitution to grant pardon to at least the petty offenders that have been incarcerated within this period so that at least we can decongest our prisons. God forbid if there is an outbreak in the prisons we are headed for a disaster”.
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However, the Ghana Medical Association in a statement yesterday March 25 2020 called on the President to immediately lock down the nation to prevent any further spread of the killer COVID-19.
The call by the GMA comes after one more person died of coronavirus in Ghana bringing the total number of recorded deaths from the virus to three.
In a statement, the GMA said being fully conscious of the threat posed by this pandemic and the disturbing trend of community spread and the obvious inadequate of capacity (logistic and human resource) of the nation’s health system to deal with increased numbers of COVID-19 infection especially in the severe to critical cases, the President must declare a Nationwide Lockdown with the exception of essential services with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, Ghana has confirmed a total of 132 Covid-19 cases as of today, March 26 2020.
READ ALSO:E/R Prisons Service appeals for necessary logistics to curb spread of Covid-19
